Happy Catholic Schools Week!

Grade 6 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 13 - Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

jubil (Latin) “to shout for joy”

hilar (Latin) “cheerful”

frug, frui (Latin) “to enjoy”

celeber, celebr (Latin) “to celebrate; to honor”  

lud, lus (Latin) “game” or “to play”

Unit 13 Word List: jubilee, jubilant, hilarity, exhilarating, fruitful, frugal, celebratory, celebrant, celebrity, illusion, delude

The Latin and Greek Unit 13 Quiz will be Wednesday, February 4th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - The Lions of Little Rock - This week we will focus on chapters 33-40. We will use context clues to determine new vocabulary from the new chapters, discuss several character relationships and the challenges they face, discover how our main character if faced with her mother’s interference and the negative/positive results of that, predict, discuss story elements, think of advice we can give our main character when she is in a bad situation, and continue to learn characteristics of historical fiction. A quiz is planned for Wednesday this week. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 40 minutes of a fantasy title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Fantasy Reading Logs are due Monday, February 2nd with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, January 30th.

Grade 7 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 13 - Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

spect, spic (Latin) “to see”

tut, tui (Latin) “to guard; to watch over; to look at”

frug, frui (Latin) “to enjoy”

ocul (Latin) “eye”  

vis, vid (Latin) “to see; to look at”

Unit 13 Word List: suspect, conspicuous, respective, despicable, tutelage, intuitive, ocular, inoculate, advisable, revise, evident, vista

The Latin and Greek Unit 13 Quiz will be Wednesday, February 4th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - Fever 1793 - Chapters 13-18 are on the agenda for this week. We will work on vocabulary in context, along with comprehension checks, analyzing passages, making connections, summarizing, determining differences in our character’s daily life and contrasting them, finding meaning in important quotes, and discussing story elements. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 50 minutes of a fantasy title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Fantasy Reading Logs are due Monday, February 2nd with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, January 30th.

Grade 8 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 13 - Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

flu (Latin) “to flow”

lev (Latin) “light”

laps (Latin) “to slip; to slide”

ced (Latin) “to move along; to go”  

Unit 13 Word List: affluent, superfluous, mellifluous, leaven, levity, alleviate, elapse, collapse, relapse, recede, concession, cede

The Latin and Greek Unit 13 Quiz will be Tuesday, February 3rd. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - The Outsiders - We will be finishing our novel in class this week with chapters 11-12. Students will discuss story elements, make predictions, and discuss character connections. Also, we will work together on comprehension questions, “digging deeper” questions, and analyzing literary devices for these chapters. A character map for chapters 8-12 is planned for completion of the book, along with a quiz and “final exam” for The Outsiders. A quiz on chapters 11-12, along with a book “final exam” are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday this week (pending pacing). Also, coming up we will be watching The Outsiders movie in class next week and completing a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the novel to the movie. A permission slip will be coming home on Monday with details.

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 60 minutes of a fantasy title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Fantasy Reading Logs are due Monday, February 2nd with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, January 30th.

Grade 6 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek - Due to our short week, we will be taking a break from our Latin and Greek vocabulary studies. Unit 13 will resume Monday, January 26th.

Class Novel - The Lions of Little Rock - This week we will pick up where we left off last on chapter 33. Chapters 33-40 are on the agenda for this week, if time allows. We will use context clues to determine new vocabulary from the new chapters, discuss several character relationships and the challenges they face, discover how our main character if faced with her mother’s interference and the negative/positive results of that, predict, discuss story elements, think of advice we can give our main character when she is in a bad situation, and continue to learn characteristics of historical fiction. As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr on Monday, this novel is an incredible tie to this time period in our history. 

Spelling Bee - Congratulations to our 6th grade finalists Caroline and Hugo, and our runner-ups Giana and Shane! The Spelling Bee will take place on Friday, January 23rd at 12:30pm to kick off Catholic Schools Week! Parents are welcome to attend! It will “bee” amazing! Good luck to our 6th grade finalists!

iReady Diagnostic Testing - Most students completed their testing on Thursday. If additional time is needed, Wednesday’s class period will be given to complete the testing. Students are reminded to bring their ear buds/headphones to class and a fully charged Chromebook if they are continuing on this week. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 40 minutes of a fantasy title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Fantasy Reading Logs are due Monday, January 26th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will not be assigned an iReady homework assignment due to the diagnostic testing for both reading and math.

Important Reminders - The Book Fair is here! Our preview day is Tuesday where students can browse, create a wish list and shop! Also, we would love to see you at the 9am Mass on Sunday, January 25th followed by the pancake breakfast and Open House (10am-12:30pm)! We look forward to showing off our AMAZING Catholic School and all the great things we do in MIddle School at St. Joe’s!

Grade 7 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek - Due to our short week, we will be taking a break from our Latin and Greek vocabulary studies. Unit 13 will resume Monday, January 26th.

Class Novel - Fever 1793 - This week we will pick up where we left off last on chapter 11 where we left off on another major cliffhanger… our main character was forced to leave her sick mother, stricken with Yellow Fever, behind and move to the country with her grandfather.  Chapters 11-16 are on the agenda for this week, if time allows. We will work on vocabulary in context, along with comprehension checks, analyzing passages, making connections, summarizing, finding meaning in important quotes, and discussing story elements. 

Spelling Bee - Congratulations to our 7th grade finalists Lexi and Katie, and our runner-ups Cate and Jacob! The Spelling Bee will take place on Friday, January 23rd at 12:30pm to kick off Catholic Schools Week! Parents are welcome to attend! It will “bee” amazing! Good luck to our 7th grade finalists!

iReady Diagnostic Testing - Most students completed their testing on Thursday. If additional time is needed, Tuesday’s class period will be given to complete the testing. Students are reminded to bring their ear buds/headphones to class and a fully charged Chromebook if they are continuing on this week. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 50 minutes of a fantasy title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Fantasy Reading Logs are due Monday, January 26th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will not be assigned an iReady homework assignment due to the diagnostic testing for both reading and math.

Important Reminders - The Book Fair is here! Our book fair was Friday, but students can return back to the Book Fair anytime this week to grab a hot new title! Also, we would love to see you at the 9am Mass on Sunday, January 25th followed by the pancake breakfast and Open House (10am-12:30pm)! We look forward to showing off our AMAZING Catholic School and all the great things we do in Middle School at St. Joe’s!

Grade 8 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek - Due to our short week, we will be taking a break from our Latin and Greek vocabulary studies. Unit 13 will resume Monday, January 26th.

Class Novel - The Outsiders - We will resume chapter 10 this week, along with completing our vocabulary in context for chapters 11-12. If time allows, we also hope to finish reading chapters 11 and 12 too! Students will discuss story elements, make predictions, and discuss character connections. Also, we will work together on comprehension questions, “digging deeper” questions, and analyzing literary devices for these chapters. A character map for chapters 8-12 is planned for completion of the book, along with a quiz and “final exam” for The Outsiders. Testing dates will be announced to the students soon in class and on Google Classroom as pacing is determined. Also, coming up we will be watching The Outsiders movie in class and completing a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the novel to the movie. A permission slip will be coming home once our movie dates are determined. 

Spelling Bee - Congratulations to our 8th grade finalists Bobby and Sean, and our runner-ups Mia and Matteo! The Spelling Bee will take place on Friday, January 23rd at 12:30pm to kick off Catholic Schools Week! Parents are welcome to attend! It will “bee” amazing! Good luck to our 8th grade finalists!

iReady Diagnostic Testing - Most students completed their testing on Thursday. If additional time is needed, Wednesday’s class period will be given to complete the testing. Students are reminded to bring their ear buds/headphones to class and a fully charged Chromebook if they are continuing on this week. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 60 minutes of a fantasy title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Fantasy Reading Logs are due Monday, January 26th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will not be assigned an iReady homework assignment due to the diagnostic testing for both reading and math.

Important Reminders - The Book Fair is here! Our preview day is Thursday where students can browse, create a wish list and shop! Also, we would love to see you at the 9am Mass on Sunday, January 25th followed by the pancake breakfast and Open House (10am-12:30pm)! We look forward to showing off our AMAZING Catholic School and all the great things we do in Middle School at St. Joe’s!

Grade 6 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 12 (continued) - Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

capita (Latin) “head”

ora (Latin) “mouth”

man, manu (Latin) “hand”

ling (Latin) “tongue”  

Unit 12 Word List: capitalize, decapitate, oral, oratory, oration, manufacture, manual, emancipate, multilingual, linguistic

The Latin and Greek Unit 12 Quiz will be Tuesday, January 13th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - If any time allows this week, we will continue reading and working on where we left off last week with The Lions of Little Rock.

Spelling Bee - Our Spelling “Pre-Bee” will be held on Monday. Students will compete with their homeroom classmates to determine a winner and a runner-up. The Spelling Bee will take place on Friday, January 23rd to kick off Catholic Schools Week! More information to come! 

iReady Diagnostic Testing - Students will complete their mid-year iReady Reading Diagnostic test on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Friday will be used for anyone needing additional time or to make up from being absent. 

Scholastic Scope Magazine - If time allows on Friday, we will be reading a non-fiction article on Dr. Martin Luther King Junior in our Scholastic Scope Magazine titled, “Marching Toward A Dream”, where we will also be working on text features and synthesis. This article is also a great tie into our class novel, the historical fiction title, The Lions of Little Rock. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 40 minutes of a fantasy title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Fantasy Reading Logs are due Tuesday, January 20th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will not be assigned an iReady assignment due to the diagnostic test. 

Important Reminders - The Book Fair is coming to St. Joe’s starting THIS Friday! It will be open throughout Catholic Schools Week! 

Grade 7 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 12 (continued) - Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

ter (Latin) “to frighten; to scare”

horr (Latin) “to shudder; to be afraid”

trepid (Latin) “afraid; disturbed”

formid (Latin) “to fear”  

rev (Latin) “to fear; respect”  

tim (Latin) “fear”  

Unit 12 Word List: terrorize, deter, horrific, abhor, trepidation, intrepid, formidable, revere, irreverent, intimidate, timorous 

The Latin and Greek Unit 12 Quiz will be Tuesday, January 13th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - If any time allows this week, we will continue reading and working on where we left off last week with Fever 1793.

Spelling Bee - Our Spelling “Pre-Bee” will be held on Monday. Students will compete with their homeroom classmates to determine a winner and a runner-up. The Spelling Bee will take place on Friday, January 23rd to kick off Catholic Schools Week! More information to come! 

iReady Diagnostic Testing - Students will complete their mid-year iReady Reading Diagnostic test on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Friday will be used for anyone needing additional time or to make up from being absent. 

Book Fair - Students will preview the Book Fair on Friday of this week! 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 50 minutes of a fantasy title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Fantasy Reading Logs are due Tuesday, January 20th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will not be assigned an iReady assignment due to the diagnostic test. 

Important Reminders - The Book Fair is coming to St. Joe’s starting THIS Friday! It will be open throughout Catholic Schools Week! 

Don’t forget to dress for the weather. If it is 20 degrees or higher, students will go outside for recess! 

Grade 8 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 12 (continued) - Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

rap (Latin) “to snatch” or “greedy; devouring”

cep (Latin) “to seize, to take”

vor (Latin) “to eat”

cad, cas (Latin) “to fall”  

Unit 12 Word List: rapacious, rapt, surreptitious, perceptible, susceptible, precept, voracious, omnivorous, herbivorous, decadent, cadence, casualty

The Latin and Greek Unit 12 Quiz will be Tuesday, January 13th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - If any time allows this week, we will continue reading and working on where we left off last week with The Outsiders.

Spelling Bee - Our Spelling “Pre-Bee” will be held on Monday. Students will compete with their homeroom classmates to determine a winner and a runner-up. The Spelling Bee will take place on Friday, January 23rd to kick off Catholic Schools Week! More information to come! 

iReady Diagnostic Testing - Students will complete their mid-year iReady Reading Diagnostic test on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Friday will be used for anyone needing additional time or to make up from being absent. 

Scholastic Scope Magazine - If time allows on Friday, we will be reading a non-fiction article on Dr. Martin Luther King Junior in our Scholastic Scope Magazine titled, “Marching Toward A Dream”, where we will also be working on text features and synthesis. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 60 minutes of a fantasy title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Fantasy Reading Logs are due Tuesday, January 20th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will not be assigned an iReady assignment due to the diagnostic test. 

Important Reminders - The Book Fair is coming to St. Joe’s starting THIS Friday! It will be open throughout Catholic Schools Week! 

Don’t forget to dress for the weather! If it is 20 degrees or higher, students will go outside for recess!  

Welcome back and Happy New Year! 

Grade 6 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 12 - Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

capita (Latin) “head”

ora (Latin) “mouth”

man, manu (Latin) “hand”

ling (Latin) “tongue”  

Unit 12 Word List: capitalize, decapitate, oral, oratory, oration, manufacture, manual, emancipate, multilingual, linguistic

Due to concert rehearsal and library this week, the Latin and Greek Unit 12 Quiz will be Tuesday, January 13th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Please note there will not be a Latin and Greek unit for the weeks of January 12th (due to iReady Diagnostic testing) or January 19th (due to the short week for Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior Day). We will resume Latin and Greek Unit 13 the week of January 26th. For the weeks we are not starting a new unit, we will be reviewing Units 1-12 in class as time allows. 

Class Novel - This week we will review and continue our class novel, The Lions of Little Rock. We will use context clues to determine vocabulary from chapters 25-32, discuss several character relationships, discover how our main character can use her voice for change, predict, discuss story elements, focus our attention to a shift in our main character, determine author's purpose and details that support, and continue to learn characteristics of historical fiction. 

Library - On Monday, the 6th grade classes will go to the library for an introduction to the genre of fantasy. Students will be given time to select a fantasy novel of their choice for their next Reading Log. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 40 minutes of a fantasy title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Fantasy Reading Logs are due Monday, January 12th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, January 9th.

Please note that our mid-year iReady diagnostic test will take place January 14th and 15th next week. If additional time is needed or your child is absent one of those days, January 16th will be used as an additional testing day. 

Grade 7 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 12 - Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

ter (Latin) “to frighten; to scare”

horr (Latin) “to shudder; to be afraid”

trepid (Latin) “afraid; disturbed”

formid (Latin) “to fear”  

rev (Latin) “to fear; respect”  

tim (Latin) “fear”  

Unit 12 Word List: terrorize, deter, horrific, abhor, trepidation, intrepid, formidable, revere, irreverent, intimidate, timorous 

Due to concert rehearsal and library this week, the Latin and Greek Unit 12 Quiz will be Tuesday, January 13th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Please note there will not be a Latin and Greek unit for the weeks of January 12th (due to iReady Diagnostic testing) or January 19th (due to the short week for Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior Day). We will resume Latin and Greek Unit 13 the week of January 26th. For the weeks we are not starting a new unit, we will be reviewing Units 1-12 in class as time allows.  

Class Novel - This week we will continue our historical fiction class novel, Fever 1793. We will review vocabulary in context for chapters 7-10, along with comprehension checks, analyzing passages, making connections, summarizing, finding meaning in important quotes, and discussing story elements. 

Library - On Friday, the 7th grade classes will go to the library for an introduction to the genre of fantasy. Students will be given time to select a fantasy novel of their choice for their Reading Log that will begin on Monday, January 12th.

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 50 minutes of a novel of their choice at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Reading Logs are due Monday, January 12th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, January 9th.

Please note that our mid-year iReady diagnostic test will take place January 14th and 15th next week. If additional time is needed or your child is absent one of those days, January 16th will be used as an additional testing day. 

Grade 8 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 12 - Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

rap (Latin) “to snatch” or “greedy; devouring”

cep (Latin) “to seize, to take”

vor (Latin) “to eat”

cad, cas (Latin) “to fall”  

Unit 12 Word List: rapacious, rapt, surreptitious, perceptible, susceptible, precept, voracious, omnivorous, herbivorous, decadent, cadence, casualty

Due to concert rehearsal and library this week, the Latin and Greek Unit 12 Quiz will be Tuesday, January 13th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Please note there will not be a Latin and Greek unit for the weeks of January 12th (due to iReady Diagnostic testing) or January 19th (due to the short week for Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior Day). We will resume Latin and Greek Unit 13 the week of January 26th. For the weeks we are not starting a new unit, we will be reviewing Units 1-12 in class as time allows.  

Class Novel - This week, we will start with a review of chapters 7-8 of The Outsiders. We will resume our reading in chapters 9-10. Students will work on vocabulary in context, discuss story elements, make predictions, and discuss character connections. Also, we will work together on comprehension questions, “digging deeper” questions, and analyzing literary devices for these chapters.   

Library - On Thursday, the 8th grade classes will go to the library for an introduction to the genre of fantasy. Students will be given time to select a fantasy novel of their choice for their Reading Log that will begin on Monday, January 12th.

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 60 minutes of a novel of their choice at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Reading Logs are due Monday, January 12th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, January 9th.

Please note that our mid-year iReady diagnostic test will take place January 14th and 15th next week. If additional time is needed or your child is absent one of those days, January 16th will be used as an additional testing day. 

Grade 6 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek - Due to our short week, we will be taking a break from our Latin and Greek vocabulary studies. Unit 12 will resume Monday, January 5th.

Class Novel - This week we will continue our class novel, The Lions of Little Rock. We will use context clues to determine vocabulary from chapters 25-32, discuss several character relationships and challenges they face, predict, discuss story elements, determine author’s purpose, find main ideas and details, and continue to learn characteristics of historical fiction. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 40 minutes of any genre of their choice at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Reading Logs are due Friday, December 19th with a parent signature.

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, December 19th.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year! Thank you for the gift of teaching your children! Enjoy the break and a lot of cozy reading time!

Grade 7 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek - Due to our short week, we will be taking a break from our Latin and Greek vocabulary studies. Unit 12 will resume Monday, January 5th.

Class Novel - This week we will continue our historical fiction class novel, Fever 1793. We will also work on vocabulary in context for chapters 7-10, along with comprehension checks, analyzing passages, making connections, cause/effect, main idea and details, an important “cliffhanger”, summarizing and discussing story elements. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 50 minutes of any genre of their choice at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Reading Logs are due Friday, December 19th with a parent signature.

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, December 19th.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year! Thank you for the gift of teaching your children! Enjoy the break and a lot of cozy reading time!

Grade 8 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek - Due to our short week, we will be taking a break from our Latin and Greek vocabulary studies. Unit 12 will resume Monday, January 5th.

Class Novel - This week, we will start with a review of chapters 7-8 of The Outsiders, along with completing a character map (on chapters 5-8) and taking a short quiz on chapters on these chapters. We will also get as much accomplished for chapters 9-10 as we can before the break. Students will work on vocabulary in context, discuss story elements, make predictions, and discuss character connections. Also, we will work together on comprehension questions, “digging deeper” questions, and analyzing literary devices for these chapters.  

The Outsiders quiz on chapters 5-8 is planned for Tuesday, December 16th.

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 60 minutes of any genre of their choice at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Reading Logs are due Friday, December 19th with a parent signature.

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, December 19th.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year! Thank you for the gift of teaching your children! Enjoy the break and a lot of cozy reading time!

Grade 6 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 10 - Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

put (Latin) “to think; to determine”

fid (Latin) “to believe, to trust”

sent, sens (Latin) “to feel”

cred, creed (Latin) “to believe”  

Unit 10 Word List: reputation, compute, confident, confidante, sentimental, sensible, sensation, incredible, discredit, creed

The Latin and Greek Unit 10 Quiz is Friday, December 5th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - This week we will continue our class novel, The Lions of Little Rock. We will review chapters 1-8, use context clues to determine vocabulary from chapters 9-16, discuss causes of change in our main character, analyze dialogue, predict, discuss story elements, and continue to learn characteristics of historical fiction.

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 40 minutes of a historical fiction title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Historical Fiction Reading Logs are due Monday, December 8th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, December 5th.

Grade 7 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 10 - Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

juris (Latin) “law”

pun (Latin) “to punish, punishment, penalty”

liti (Latin) “to press a lawsuit”

nom, nem (Greek) “law; custom share to measure out”  

dic (Greek) “justice”

Unit 10 Word List: jurisprudence, jurisdiction, perjure, impunity, punitive, subpoena, litigation, litigant, autonomous, nemesis, syndicate

The Latin and Greek Unit 10 Quiz is Friday, December 5th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - This week we will begin our new class novel, Fever 1793. We will discuss pre-reading strategies on this historical fiction classic. We will also work on vocabulary in context for chapters 1-5, along with comprehension checks, analyzing passages, making connections, cause/effect, summarizing and discussing early story elements. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 50 minutes of a historical fiction title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Historical Fiction Reading Logs are due Monday, December 8th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, December 5th.

Grade 8 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 10 - Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

ben (Latin) “well, good”

cord (Latin) “heart”

anim (Latin) “spirit”

mal (Latin) “bad”

Unit 10 Word List: benevolent, benefactor, benign, accord, discord, cordial, animosity, equanimity, magnanimous, dismal, malevolent, malicious

The Latin and Greek Unit 10 Quiz is Friday, December 5th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - This week, we will continue our class novel, The Outsiders, focusing on chapters 5-8 this week. Students will work on vocabulary in context, discuss story elements, make predictions, and discuss character connections. Also, we will work together on comprehension questions, “digging deeper” questions, and analyzing literary devices. After reading and discussing chapters 5-8, students will be put to the challenge of new character map highlighting the chapters of this week.

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 60 minutes of a historical fiction title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Historical Fiction Reading Logs are due Monday, December 8th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, December 5th.

Grade 6 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek - Due to our short week, we will be taking a break from our Latin and Greek vocabulary studies. Unit 10 will resume Monday, December 1st. 

Class Novel - On Monday, we will review chapters 1-8 in The Lions of Little Rock by focusing on long and short comprehension responses, reviewing vocabulary, discussing character connections, and summarizing the chapters read last week. 

On Tuesday, students will read our November issue of Scholastic Scope Magazine where we will read a short article on movie makeup (focusing on the character, Elphaba, from Wicked: For Good). Also, we will read and discuss nonfiction articles on the challenges Southwest panthers face using the skills cause/effect, problem/solution, and sequence of events. Finally, we hope to also read an article about a favorite holiday tradition, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Weekly Reading Log - Students are encouraged to keep reading over the break, but a Reading Log will not be assigned. Our next historical fiction Reading Log will be assigned on Monday, December 1st and due on December Monday, December 8th.

iReady Reading Practice - iReady will also not be assigned this week. We will resume iReady on Monday, December 1st. 

Wishing you all a safe, blessed, and enjoyable Thanksgiving with your family!

Grade 7 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek - Due to our short week, we will be taking a break from our Latin and Greek vocabulary studies. Unit 10 will resume Monday, December 1st. 

In Class Reading - On Monday, students will present their Who Is/Who Was biography brochures. Students have been working so hard on learning how to read biographies, pulling out important and interesting information, sequencing, and going back through text to reread through the presidents and Native Americans we studied as a class. We are excited to have our student biography experts teach the class all about some amazing people they learned about! The biography presentation will include information on each person’s early life, family, education, obstacles, careers, how they impacted the world, interesting facts, and famous quotes.

Weekly Reading Log - Students are encouraged to keep reading over the break, but a Reading Log will not be assigned. Our next historical fiction Reading Log will be assigned on Monday, December 1st and due on December Monday, December 8th. 

iReady Reading Practice - iReady will also not be assigned this week. We will resume iReady on Monday, December 1st. 

Wishing you all a safe, blessed, and enjoyable Thanksgiving with your family!

Grade 8 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek - Due to our short week, we will be taking a break from our Latin and Greek vocabulary studies. Unit 10 will resume Monday, December 1st. 

Class Novel - On Monday in class, students will complete a complex character map on chapters 1-4 in class with a partner. Students will have to go back into the novel, reread, and map out the character connections. A POP quiz for The Outsiders, chapters 1-4 is also planned for Monday. 

If time allows during this short week, students will read our November issue of Scholastic Scope Magazine where we will read a short article on movie makeup (focusing on the character, Elphaba, from Wicked: For Good). Also, we will read and discuss nonfiction articles on the challenges Southwest panthers face using the skills cause/effect, problem/solution, and sequence of events. Finally, we hope to also read an article about a favorite holiday tradition, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Weekly Reading Log - Students are encouraged to keep reading over the break, but a Reading Log will not be assigned. Our next historical fiction Reading Log will be assigned on Monday, December 1st and due on December Monday, December 8th. 

iReady Reading Practice - iReady will also not be assigned this week. We will resume iReady on Monday, December 1st. 

Wishing you all a safe, blessed, and enjoyable Thanksgiving with your family!

Grade 6 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 9- Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

fort (Latin) “strong”

teg (Latin) “whole, unbroken”

firm (Latin) “to strengthen, to give strength”

val, valid (Latin) “to be strong; to be worth” and “strong”  

Unit 9 Word List: effortless, fortify, fortitude, integrate, integrity, disintegrate, affirmative, confirm, infirm, invaluable, evaluate, invalid, validate

The Latin and Greek Unit 9 Quiz is Friday, November 21st. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - This week we will focus on our new class novel, The Lions of Little Rock. We will be completing some “before reading” activities, use context clues to determine vocabulary from chapters 1-8, predict, discuss early story elements, and characteristics of historical fiction. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 40 minutes of a historical fiction title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Historical Fiction Reading Logs are due Monday, November 24th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, November 21st.

Grade 7 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 9- Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

ment (Latin) “mind”

mne (Greek) “to remember” and “remembering”

gno (Greek) “to know”

not, noise, naiss (Latin) “to know”  

ratio (Latin) “reason”  

Unit 9 Word List: demented, mentality, amnesty, mnemonic, diagnosis, prognosis, notorious, connoisseur, reconnaissance, ration, rational

The Latin and Greek Unit 9 Quiz is Friday, November 21st. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

In-Class Reading - We will continue reading and understanding the components of a biography through reading short biographies together on two famous Native Americans, Chief Black Hawk and Sacagawea while practicing our “Close Reading” skills. 

Students will also independently read their first Who Is/Who Was title where they will be applying close reading strategies to determine their person of choice’s personal information, early life, education, career highlights, obstacles, awards, famous quotes, what they are most known for, and interesting information. The Who Is/Who Was report is due Monday, November 24th. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 50 minutes of a historical fiction title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Historical Fiction Reading Logs are due Monday, November 24th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, November 21st.

Grade 8 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 9- Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

uni (Latin) “one”

mono (Greek) “one”

homo (Greek) “the same”

equi (Latin) “equal, even”  

Unit 9 Word List: uniform, unison, unanimous, monologue, monopolize, monogamy, monolithic, homonym, homogenized, equitable, equilibrium, iniquity

The Latin and Greek Unit 9 Quiz is Friday, November 21st. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - This week, we will continue our class title, The Outsiders, focusing on chapters 3-5 this week. Students will work on vocabulary in context, discuss early story elements, make predictions, and discuss character connections. Also, we will work together on comprehension questions, “digging deeper” questions, and analyzing literary devices. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 60 minutes of a historical fiction title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Historical Fiction Reading Logs are due Monday, November 24th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, November 21st. 

Grade 6 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 8- Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

cess (Latin) “to go; to yield”

grad, gress (Latin) “to go; to progress”

it (Latin) “to go”

cur, cours (Latin) “to run”

Unit 8 Word List: accessible, succession, procession, transgress, progression, gradual, ambition, transit, occurrence, course, currency, recurrent

The Latin and Greek Unit 8 Quiz is Friday, November 14th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - We wrapped up the amazing class novel, Holes, last week. We also started the film, Holes, in class on Thursday. The film will run into the first two or three days of this week. As students watch the movie, they will be completing a Venn Diagram comparing the novel to the film. We will also be looking a little more closely at some specific character connections. We have all been so excited to see this novel come to life! 

Mid-week, we will be starting our new class novel, Lions of Little Rock. This classic historical fiction title is about how two girls separated by race form an unbreakable bond during the tumultuous integration of Little Rock schools in 1958. As we start this novel we will grasp new vocabulary through context, make predictions, and start to understand the early story elements. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 40 minutes of a historical fiction title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Historical Fiction Reading Logs are due Monday, November 17th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, November 14th.

Grade 7 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 8- Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

insul (Latin) “island”

idio (Greek) “single; peculiar; personal”

num (Latin) “to count”

plus, plur (Latin) “many”

sing (Latin) “single”

Unit 8 Word List: insular, insulate, idiosyncrasy, idiom, enumerate, innumerable, nonplussed, surplus, plurality, single, singular

The Latin and Greek Unit 8 Quiz is Friday, November 14th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

In-Class Reading - On Monday, we will begin a biography unit. Together we will work on reading and understanding the components of a biography through reading short biographies on some pretty cool presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight S. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Regean. 

We will also spend time working on “Close Reading” where students will follow some ABC’s and 123’s…

A - Allow Stops -  good readers read and reread the same text, stopping to mark and noticing confusing parts, and highlighting parts they want to discuss with others.

B - Big Ideas and Structure - good readers understand the big idea presented by the author and how it is presented.

C - Critical Stance - good readers infer and develop their own opinion and critical stance based on the information presented, making connections as they analyze the material.

1 - First Read - read the article for general understanding while highlighting and taking notes about big ideas from the text. Mark parts that are confusing.

2 - Second Read - reread the text and dive deeper into the text’s structure. Think about vocabulary words, author’s craft, and differentiating important from interesting information

3 - Third Read - reread the text with the author’s purpose in mind, evaluating the “why” something is, developing an opinion, and taking a critical stance on big ideas. 

Students will also begin to independently read their first Who Is/Who Was title where they will be applying close reading strategies to determine their person of choice’s personal information, early life, education, career highlights, obstacles, awards, famous quotes, what they are most known for, and interesting information. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 50 minutes of a historical fiction title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Historical Fiction Reading Logs are due Monday, November 17th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, November 14th.

Grade 8 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek Unit 8- Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

ped (Latin) “foot”

ped (Greek) “child”

vest (Latin) “clothing”

corpor, corpu (Latin) “body”

Unit 8 Word List: impediment, expedient, pedestrian, pedant, pedagogue, travesty, vested, vestment, divest, corporeal, corpulent, incorporate

The Latin and Greek Unit 8 Quiz is Friday, November 14th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - This week we will begin our new class novel and historical fiction title, The Outsiders.  The Outsiders is a young adult novel by S.E. Hinton about 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis, who is part of a gang of working-class "Greasers" in 1960s Oklahoma. The story follows Ponyboy and his friends as they navigate a violent rivalry with the wealthier "Socs," a conflict that intensifies after a confrontation leads to a death, forcing Ponyboy and his friend Johnny on the run. The book explores themes of class struggle, loyalty, and finding common ground between rival groups. As we start this novel we will grasp new vocabulary through context, make predictions, and start to understand the early story elements. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 60 minutes of a historical fiction title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Historical Fiction Reading Logs are due Monday, November 17th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, November 14th.

Grade 6 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek - Unit 7 continues into this week. Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

liter (Latin) “letter”

log (Greek) “word, speech, idea, reason”

gram, graph (Greek) “letter, writing” and “to write”

script, scrib (Latin) “to write”

Unit 7 Word List: literal, literate, obliterate, illogical, analogy, apologetic, diagram, program, biographical, descriptive, subscribe, manuscript

The Latin and Greek Unit 7 Quiz is Thursday, November 6th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - Students will conclude their class novel, Holes, by completing their comprehension questions from chapters 49-50 on Tuesday. A quiz on Holes chapters 33-50 is planned for Tuesday, November 4th. To wrap up such an amazing class novel, we will be starting the film, Holes, in class on Wednesday. We plan to watch Holes from Wednesday and Thursday. If additional time is needed, we will conclude the movie on Monday, November 10th. As students watch the movie, they will be completing a Venn Diagram comparing the novel to the film. We are all so excited to see this novel come to life! 

Weekly Reading Log - On Monday, we travel to the library for a historical fiction introduction and check out time. New Historical Fiction Reading Logs will be explained in class on Tuesday. Students will read a minimum of 40 minutes of a historical fiction title (of their choice) at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Historical Fiction Reading Logs are due Monday, November 10th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, November 7th.

Don’t forget, no school on Friday, November 7th due to Teacher Inservice!

Grade 7 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek - Unit 7 continues into this week. Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

val, vail (Latin) “to be strong”

fort (Latin) “strong”

dur (Latin) “tough, hard” and “to last”

rob (Latin) “oak; strength”

solid (Latin) “to make solid”

Unit 7 Word List: valiant, valor, avail, fortitude, forte, enduring, durable, duration, corroborate, robust, consolidate, solidarity

The Latin and Greek Unit 7 Quiz is Wednesday, November 5th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - Students will continue their class novel, Touching Spirit Bear reading chapters 25-28. Throughout these chapters, students will learn new vocabulary, use context clues, predict, explain, make character connections, describe character traits, summarize, participate in class discussions, answer comprehension questions, and continue to understand story elements. A quiz on chapters 24-28 is planned for Wednesday, November 5th. Upon conclusion of the novel on Wednesday, students will be introduced to a group project where they will be completing a “plot mountain”. This project consists of the students diving deep into the plot throughout the novel to find details and evidence on the exposition, rising action, inciting incident, climax, falling action, resolution, and theme. They will be creating a poster on these stages within their small groups. 

Weekly Reading Log - On Monday, a new Historical Fiction Reading Log will be introduced. Students had the opportunity to check out historical fiction titles on Friday during our library time. Students will read a minimum of 50 minutes of a historical fiction title at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Historical Fiction Reading Logs are due Monday, November 10th with a parent signature. 

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, November 7th.

Don’t forget, no school on Friday, November 7th due to Teacher Inservice!

Grade 8 Learning Objectives:

Latin & Greek - Unit 7 continues into this week. Students will increase retention of new words and expand their vocabulary by working with the following roots:

bell (Latin) “war”

am (Latin) “love” and “friend”

agon (Greek) “contest; struggle”

phil (Greek) “love”

Unit 7 Word List: bellicose, antebellum, belligerence, enamored, amiable, amicable, antagonize, protagonist, antagonist, philosophical, philanthropy, bibliophile

The Latin and Greek Unit 7 Quiz is Wednesday, November 5th. Please remind your child to study his/her flashcards daily and check Google Classroom for practice games and tests posted on Quizlet.

Class Novel - We concluded our class novel, Prisoner B-3087, on Thursday. On Monday, students will be introduced to a group project where they will be completing a “plot mountain”. This project consists of the students diving deep into the plot throughout the novel to find details and evidence on the exposition, rising action, inciting incident, climax, falling action, resolution, and theme. They will be creating a poster on these stages within their small groups. 

Weekly Reading Log - Students will read a minimum of 60 minutes of a mystery/suspense title at home and complete three detailed, two-sentence responses on the back of their Reading Log. The Mystery/Suspense Reading Logs are due Monday, November 10th with a parent signature. 

On Thursday, we will be visiting the library for an introduction to historical fiction. Students will be checking out new titles for their Historical Fiction Reading Logs, which will be explained on Monday, November 10th.

iReady Reading Practice - This week, students will complete and pass one reading lesson on their individualized path, or practice for 40 minutes. iReady is due Friday, November 7th.

Don’t forget, no school on Friday, November 7th due to Teacher Inservice!